our school project

totong announced a while back that thru the efforts of francis "nonoy tisoy" calmerin and johnny go, the school project that we promised to accomplish has been completed.

above are pictures of the new facade...

and there's a picture of a detail of the facade which reminds me of the project we did back in our sophomore year... what's it called... metal etching? ( i forgot! sorry!) please correct me because i know this is the wrong name for this artwork... but it's the closest i could use to describe it...

unfortunately, pictures of the old facade will just have to wait... or maybe you can check out if there are still pictures of it on the sjhs website: http://www.sjhsbacolod.org

i'll keep everyone posted

SJS-LS 1982 Alumni_PS_cd_part_1

Video: sjsls1982_CD_part_1

Bora!

dinnertime

dance the night away

afternoon delight

Raising Funds, Raising Spirits

It was two days before Augie Altarejos’ 40th birth anniversary that I received an email from Totong Derayunan. In the email, he asked my help in editing the Letter of Pledge that was to be sent out to all Batchmates of the Class of 1982. The letter itself was finished through the collaboration of Joselito Porras, Bitoy Apuhin, Peter Ploteña, and Totong himself.

After making the necessary corrections, I sent back the edited version of the Letter of Pledge to Totong via email on Augie’s birth anniversary itself, August 20, 2006. The Letter of Pledge went like this:

LETTER OF PLEDGE

One day in May of 2006, during the enrollment period for School Year 2006-2007, this incident occurred at the St. Joseph’s Registrar’s Office:

“I saw a member of Batch 1982 talking to Mrs. Hiponia. Sad thing was that our batchmate was pleading for her son to be admitted for enrollment even though she only has enough money to cover half of the enrollment fee. Having witnessed this, I left with a heavy heart. I experienced a deep pity and felt so sorry for our batchmate….”

OUR FELLOW SJS-LS ALUMNI OF 1982,
Pity and feeling sorry is not enough! WE CAN MAKE A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE… NOW!!!

Yes, there are a number of our batchmates who need our helping hand. Amidst the current global financial crisis, the officers decided to become an avenue of blessings through your pledges. WOULD WE RATHER JUST LOOK AND WATCH? OR, WOULD WE RATHER TAKE PART AND TAKE ACTION FOR THIS NOBLE CAUSE? Batchmates, this will be a meaningful Homecoming because in the midst of
celebration we do remember our true goal-- and that is
to help.

Lest we forget, although part of your pledges will be used for the Homecoming celebration, a bigger portion will be allotted for our Scholarship Drive.
My dear batchmates, we encourage you to PLEDGE the MINIMUM amount of USD$200.00. However, if your heart still desires to commit to a higher Pledge, we will gladly accept the offer.

This will not necessarily be a one time endowment since your donations may be made on a staggered basis. HERE ARE THE STEPS:
1. Just inform us of your pledges/commitment through our official website, LOG ON TO AND BECOME A MEMBER TO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sjsls1982 before the end of SEPTEMBER, 2006.
2. The actual DUE DATE for remittances of PLEDGES will be on or before JANUARY 31, 2007 through our Dollar Bank Account at Philippine National Bank Amelia Avenue Branch under the name of GRACE UY AND ANTHONY P DERAYUNAN OR LUZ J. MONTELIBANO AND GREG L. JORDAN.
3. For confidentiality and security concerns, if you do not wish to indicate the amount of your pledge on our official website, you can EMAIL the pledge amount to JOHNNY GO – [insert email address] with a copy furnished to ANTHONY P. DERAYUNAN with email address tondera0515@yahoo.com and JOSELITO F. PORRAS with email address traders1@bcd.i-next.net.

My dear batchmates, we hope you take part in this noble cause for whatever we share shall be returned a hundredfold….

LIVE JESUS IN OUR HEARTS… FOREVER

This became the start of the frenzied round of activities that ultimately culminated in the realization of our goal, which was also a dream that Augie Altarejos cherished to make come true and had made come true for a number of students of St. Joseph’s High School.

The Dream: to help as many students as we can to finish high school from St. Joseph’s on a scholarship.

Christmas 1982. Our class held a reunion party for the first time after high school graduation. College freshmen all, our ideals were high, our spirits were soaring. In the midst of talking about our own personal plans, the idea to raise funds to help high school students graduate from St. Joseph’s was born. First suggested by Augie Altarejos, the idea took flight. For someone like me, who was going through college on a scholarship, it was a grand notion, indeed.

But first, we had to raise the money to help these kids. The summer of 1983, we spent our time not just on basketball games or reading Sidney Sheldon. That summer, we held meetings at Totong Derayunan’s house, threshing out the ways and means to accumulate enough money to send other kids through high school. Raymund Perez and Bitoy Apuhin would lug a five-foot high piece of chalkboard from Gonzaga Subdivision, where I lived, to Totong’s house, so we can have something to write on during our meetings.

Finally, after days and weeks of planning, we came up with very realistic options.

First, we raised a hog, which was christened Annie Baho-tangkal by Class Jesters, Bitoy Apuhin and Tindoy Ravina, in their own inimitable way. Fed and cared for by Kamang and Tiya Patring, Totong’s ever-reliable Man and Woman Friday, Annie eventually grew big enough for the slaughter and became much needed bacon for the class bank account. Back then, as now, it was Grace Tenefrancia-Uy, who guarded over the treasure. Into the coffers, not only were deposited the proceeds from the sale of Annie, but also the income we got from “Video Magic”, a video-concert-dance-show featuring the MTVs of Olivia Newton-John, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boy George, and other MTV stars of the 1980’s. Not to mention, of course, the series of weekend film-showings of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max movie.

In spite of these, to our mind, “grand” undertakings, it wasn’t enough to cover the number of scholars we wanted to help. So we embarked on our most ambitious project. Not very original, I might admit, but very timely in the extreme.

Christmas 1983. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind when raising money during Christmas is to go house to house singing Christmas Carols. Even a three-year-old can come up with that idea. The unique thing about our Christmas Caroling that year was the tableau. Grace was dressed as Mama Mary in my mother’s old shawl and Andy Makilan acted out the role of St. Joseph. And from house to house, we sang the traditional Christmas carols while encircling Grace and Andy as they depicted the Nativity scene with a little doll in swaddling clothes representing the Baby Jesus.

We had our share of defeats and triumphs that November to December of 1983. Since we were all still in school, we had scheduled the rehearsals and practice sessions on the weekends. And since we wanted to make sure our funds stayed intact for its ultimate purpose, we spent our own money for our snacks and refreshments and transportation. When someone, mostly me, did not have enough money, the others would share theirs without complaint. That Christmas was one of the wettest ones we had in a long while. We trudged over streets with holes filled with muddy rainwater. We encountered loudly barking dogs that barred us from entering their masters’ homes. We even had the misfortune to get a deaf ear from the owners of a home to whom we had specifically given a solicitation letter. In his frustration, Tindoy strummed his guitar loudly and sang an Asin song, “ Masdan Mo ang Iyong Kapaligiran”, at the top of his lungs.

The funds grew bigger. Finally, we had enough to help our scholars finish at St. Joseph ’s. I can’t recall the few students we helped that year and in the years that followed. Afterwards, with the pressure of college and new peers, and the endless job searches after college graduation, our grand dream fizzled out.

Unbeknownst to us, it was Augie who continued the project. With the help of his employer (the Coca-Cola Bottlers, Inc.), he made sure that the dream came true for other students of St. Joseph ’s. This only came to light after his death in April 1995.

Ten years after his death, plans for the Class Silver Jubilee were in full swing. A year later, the Letter of Pledge came out, and Augie’s idea again took centerstage.

This time around, with the vast resources at hand, a most ambitious project came to the fore: a Raffle Draw for a House and Lot in Charito Heights .

And just as in the past, the proceeds remained intact for its final purpose: scholarships for St. Joseph ’s students, most especially for the offspring of the Class of 1982.

Away from the arena, so to speak, since I now live in Makati , I heard a lot of positive news from the home front. Still committed to making sure that the funds that were accumulated from the pledges of batchmates and proceeds from the raffle tickets will be reserved for its final purpose, the officers and members of the batch who were working hard to accomplish the goal, used their own money, from their own pockets for such mundane things as food, San Mig lites, and coffee. I heard that Johnny Go and Joselito Porras would take their cars house to house to invite other batchmates to join meetings. The gasoline charges for these sojourns, they covered themselves, and not from the class funds. And what about the time when it was our turn to host the Annual Bowling Tournament… there were times when there was not enough money to cover the fees. Who passed the hat to make up for the difference? The Officers, of course, from their own pockets! There’s Nonoy Tisoy Calmerin, Bitoy Apuhin, Joselito Porras, Johnny Go, Peter Ploteña, Luz Jimenea, Totong Derayunan, Nana Alejandro, Grace Tenefrancia and many others who never complained but dipped from their own funds to cover for what was lacking.

Our class has always relied on our own money to pay our own way in activities such as this. From the past to the present, nothing has changed as far as this tradition is concerned. Our class always makes sure there is enough for everybody. Where something is lacking, we always make up for it. That’s how we operated in the past, that’s how we operate now and rest-assured, that is how we will continue to operate in the future.

We have heard of other Batches giving us such a positive feedback for a very successful Silver Jubilee Celebration. Yet, this success would not have come about without the sacrifices our Officers have made during the course of the two years leading up to the Grand Day.

Saying “Thank you!!!” for all their hard work is not enough but I know most of them would appreciate the thought, regardless.

Because for me, hearing “Thank you!!!” from someone who sincerely appreciates what you have done, is the best gift of all.

Now that the funds have been raised, it’s time to raise the spirits of those students who will become the next scholars of the Alumni Class of 1982.

To our Officers, thank you for a job well done!!!

A No-Holds-Barred and Unedited Take on the Celebration (by afm™)

With respect to those batch `82 based in US, seamen, Manila and
those who came along the way to attend for this special occasion,
likewise we salute & bowed our head on your presence. It's really an
emotional, eye popping, harmonious, a tender loving feeling, to see
each other again after missing for the past 25 years... One may
admit that hugged & kisses is not enough compare to the feeling of
joy & excitement no one could imagine once again. We may outgrow
ourselves but our physical appearance with new looks, shapes &
sizes, as some may have grown hair but others just starting to grow
theirs... (ha.ha.ha ...kalbo na gali) perhaps, we may forgotten
their names but we still can recognized their faces.

Look now at Jessie Aquino, before he weighs 120lbs but now 250lbs
heavier? Also Kiting (Luz), I could not imagine she is beautiful as
a white rose now. Kaya umuwi si Monet, joking.. Remember, best
friend tayo ha. Kiting ano gid haw ang gin usar mo nga habon kay nag-
puti ka gid man hah!

It was a tremendous group effort, during the rehearsal last 28 Dec.
(the nite b4), I still remember we practice the group dance in full
cooperation, never was any complained heard even though several
times we repeated and perfected (kuno, sige lang bala) until the wee
hours... and guess those running sweat...taga tá gid ang mga balhas
namon... sobra pa sa work-out sa gym but it doesn't bother us.

Again, it's nice to see old faces namely:

1. Rossini (Aguilar), she gained weight the last time I saw her.
Married na kasi.

2. Richard Alimon, (based in Manila), nag dako man..

3. Lina (Alejandro) Aloquina, always reliable, keep up the good
work! ti subong ang kape naton may gatas na?

4. Bitoy Apuhin, toy hinay-hinay lang sa paninigarilyo.

5. Jessie Aquino, siguro 25 yrs after niwang kana siguro ano?

6. Ronnie Ayuban, ti architect e design mo na ang aton nga brass
signage ng SJSLS.

7. Gloria (Bahil) Tan now married to Francis Tan. (same batch na
nagdayunay), Francis is based in Cagayan de Oro.

8. Judy Ann (Bayona) based in Manila, sexy man gihapon.

9. Soraya (Baravio) guapa man gihapon kag masipag, apat na daw imo
bata, day?

10. Francis Barcenas, pre, bantayan mo lang ang mga litson?

11. Dennis Blanca (based in Iloilo),saw last X'mas party, 22 Dec.
What the hell where u? wala nag bag-o same hairdo.

12. Francis Calmerin, bata pa gihapon gatubo pa lang ang buhok?

13. Mitzi (Canada) Chua, party girl…ti diin naman kita makadto?

14. Noli Canobis (saw last X'mas party) Ano wala ka nakakadto,
makanta pa kita tani!

15. Joy (Chua) , glad to see you, my close family neighbor since
childhood.

16. Ed Diego Jr., daw ikaw gid ang mayo mag saot sa ila?

17. Joseph Danoy ( for those who want to renew a driver's license,
just visit Joseph in LTO Bacolod).

18. Totong Derayunan, El Presidente, keep up the good work!

19. Ike Federico , busy as pagkolekta sang registration and raffle
tickets.. ti may mga bag-o ta mga chika babes?

20. Luis Gador ( nag abot man gid gab-i na!)

21. Sherry (Galve), remember her? She's the girl with a cute eyes!

22. Johnny Go ( go Johnny go… always willing to help and support
the group, keep up the good work!)

23. Dennis Hedriana (based in Australia), diutayan lang kami kita
away, na nervous gid si Kiting, remember that night? Sin-o to nga
hubog man?? Kilala ni Ting2 yata yun? Kay gid Australian accent mo
gid, (Day)Die!

24. Agustin Grajo Jr. ( migo, wala gid nag bag-o) abi ko gani dala
mo pa si nanay mo?

25. Anthony Inocencio (based in Canada)hay, kadlaw gid sa mga
nagkatalabo sang una,, those where h/s days, ton? Ti, good boy kana?

26. Juvy De Guzman, hay ngirit gihapon,, kiay-kiay man gihapon…

27. Rose (De Guzman) Parreño (based in USA) wala gid ka nag-bag-
o ,utoy-utoy gihapon kadlaw. Abi ko tani ang bana mo ang ma speech,
kay sus Jose Parreño man pala ang ngalan niya. Jun2 mag sex change
kana ay change name pala kay kapangalan mo ang bana ni Rose.

28. Bambi (Jamiana) Dela Torre, flawless as ever!

29. Kiting (Jimenea) Montelibano , best friend !! Ano, inom ta?

30. Joy (Jover) based in USA, kamusta na, seryoso ka gid haw?

31. Greg Jordan, daw si Tatay Noel gid ang itsura! Ga sampok kilay
gihapon!

32. Mabel (Jurisprudencia), ikaw ba yun, daw nag taas ka! Joke lang..

33. Vicente(Ting2) Legaspina (seaman), niwang gihapon… astig gid man
gihapon!

34. Rolando Lozada, bugoy man gihapon!

35. Hector Magallanes, ga ngirit lang.

36. Mitchell Morata (official photographer) abi ko film ang gamiton
mo… digital camera na subong ang gina-usar… I hope all pictures or
video taken by Mitchell could be posted in the website. Pls. follow
up!!

37. Diona (Mediodia), saot lang ng saot… hitsura mo gid si Elna.
Utod mo na? Si Mike ano mo?

38. Timogen Mirabueno, taas man gihapon.

39. Leo Pascua, nag abot man.Tall, dark, ok lang, hindi na
nagatigulang na ta no!joke lang.

40. Jun Porras, ever reliable, good looking, beergin? keep up the
good work! Ti wala na ta beer?

41. Peter Plotena (based in Subic, Pampanga)ay naku peter, mag
salamin kana, hindi muna mabasa ang ginahambal mo. Wala kalatuy-
latuy… pero bilib ako non-stop ang imo nga saot sa dance floor that
night… bakit? Are you in drugs??

42. Raymund Perez (Saudi boy) bay-i da sila mon,, pongko lang kita
ya kag mag lantaw!

43. Lee (Ramos) Bernardo, keep up the good work! Ang puso mo…high
blood kana naman!

44. Cerewarlito Quebrar Jr. , wala nag bag-o, bataon man.

45. Leila (Sales) , amo man gihapon, single pa rin?

46. Dennis Vincent Rios , better late than never, nag-abot man.

47. Elvira (Salazar) , saot lang ng saot…

48. Gigi (Seva) Tordesillas , gorgeous emcee that night..

49. Elmer Poncejan , ano ng tukar naman ang imo rayuma nagkamang kana naman sang aga.. damo gid kaon mo sang litson….

50. Karen (Suarez) .. Ti , mam, damo na ta nabaligya sang timbora sa
mga estudyante naton….

51. Sheila Solidum , ( ano nadula ka sang gab-i, nagpa chicken haus
pa kami!

52. Rodney Sy , business as usual.

53. Monet Sobrepena (based in Canada), good boy gihapon…nice to see
u again, net.

54. Grace (Tenefrancia) Uy , amo man gihapon.. mayo man mag saot..ang may hawak ng pera…

55. Imelda (Tiongco) Amoyon , same weight, same size

56. Gemma (Tiongco) , same, same

57. Rosalie (Valencia) , wala ka kupas kupas kumanta gihapon..

58. Imelda (Torres) mucho dinero…. Nag sponsor ng mga t-shirt.. sa
sunod ang aton mga pants, bayo, iya na sagot… pati underwear sa
golden anniversary kuno…. Ti sin-o na magpatakos subong!!

59. Sarah (Carcero) Vio , pasensiya na ano gani imo section?

60. Cesar Gomed , remember him… working student siya sa St. Jo that
time…..

61. Mary Ann (Jimenea) , Kiting ka ano ano mo ba to? Bahala na si
Kiting mag describe?

62. Josie (Meñosa) Miranda , saot lang ng saot

63. Maricon (Peraren) Longno , sa LTO rin , kung wala pa kamo
insurance, sa iya lang kamo kadto.. ang commission ko ha!!

64. Jennifer (Señoro) , ano day dalaga ka pa asta subong? Sori, ano
nga section mo?

65. Jessica (Jolito) Cañete , always loyal to batch 82, 3rd year lang naton schoolmate siya.. but we are proud of your dedication. Viva
Señora Jessica!!!

66. Emily (Castellano) Exanes , pasensiya na wala na ako maisip sa
imo? Ikaw na lang.

67. Milagros (Martir) Verano , Milag, ang amon nga calendaryo, diin
na?



Mentors who are present and being honored are as follows:

1. Mr. Sales, na late si Sales, nagbalik pa sa ila balay kay na
limtan niya ang typewriter!

2. Mrs. Diaz (arrived in a wheelchair, she had a stroke 2 days b4
the celeb. ) Actually I talked to her when she step out of the van,
I told her, mam we're glad you came, may mga sampung litson diri
para sa imo, she told me, what? Are you going to kill me?

3. Mr. Sugon, I was the one who escorted him going to the stage but
when it was our name being called to step in nag-brown-out, he
whisper to me, anak marami ba diyan mga babae, asta subong mahilig
pa rin pala si sir. Hambal ko, Sir, gatindog pa na! Gin grip niya
akon kamot, grabe pala si Sir maka hawak daw ma pusa ang akon
kamot….

4. Mr. Baldomero, Si Baldo, strong as ever pa rin…

5. Mrs. Hiponia, as fluent speaker pa rin..

6. Ms. Zenaida Moleno (canteen staff, remember?) na promote na siya,
wala na sa canteen. Hawak na niya ang gym ng St. Jo.

7. Mr. Lariza, ah si Sir Lariza, hindi na siya long hair…hambal niya
sa akon sa dalum na lang.

8. Mr. Pabon (arrived from USA just to be with us). Si Ariel bagets na
bagets ang dating…

9. Mrs. Mayo, pag Milagros talaga na ngalan, sharp memory pa rin..
Kilala pa niya ang ngalan ng mga estudyante niya. In fact, ang
guard sang St. Jo sang una nadumduman pa niya.

10. Mrs. Pico, she told us it's her first time to attend this
reunion kay no one ever invited her other than our Batch 82. Kung
buhi lang tani daw si Fr. Arib, basi siya pa ang mag-celebrate ng
mass. Mrs. Pico is the sister of Fr. Arib.

11. Mr. Mahigne, sexy pa rin.. ay sori mali slim pa rin pala. Ayun
ang bruha naka istambay pa rin sa mga boys.

We sincerely thank everybody who came and enjoy the silver
anniversary celebration. Those who reached out and support
financially from our Batch 82 here and abroad, sponsors and friends
who unselfishly contributed to make this special event successful,
memorable and with a bang (ikaw man 20 minutes nga continuous putok
sang fireworks hindi ka mabungol)! Those who weren't able to come
home because of commitment (sige excuse kayo, send explanation
slip). We miss you, your financial support was a big contribution
indeed. May I suggest to the officers that we can duplicate this
event for Batch 82 only, every 5 years thereafter like year
2012, 2017,2022 and so forth. So that those who miss it may have the
chance to celebrate, what do you think? Don't think anymore, JUST DO
IT! We will still continue the yearly x'mas party as a tradition.

If ever I miss some names mentioned above, sorry, I admit I don't
have a sharp memory anymore, si Andy ako indi si Milagros. Again,
MADAMO GID NGA SALAMAT SA TANAN.

P.S.

Nag text sa akon si Sir Mahigne indi daw siya sexy, ma beauty lang.

Silver Jubilee Batch '82 Programme (by afm™)

In Gratitude

The Class of 1982 would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsors as follows:

First Farmers Holdings Corporation
Royal Truckhaus & Industrial Sales, Inc.
Foremost Ventures Marketing
Weesam Express
Standard Insurance Corporation
The Coca Cola Bottlers Company Inc.
Victorias Foods Corporation
Frank Carbon (Batch 1967, SJS-LS)
UCPB Lacson Branch
Honorable Evelio R. Leonardia ~ Mayor, Bacolod City

And to everyone who unselfishly gave their time, their talent and their treasure to make this event successful, memorable, and indelibly printed in all our hearts... Madamo gid nga salamat... May God, in Christ, richly bless you beyond all that you can ask or imagine!

Special thanks go to our friends in North America:

Ariel Pabon
Dan Derayunan
Alton Pabon
Lucien Leyes
Cely Camero
and to all the Officers and Members of the St. Joseph’s High School Alumni Association of North America.

To our Batchmates outside the Philippines who also made huge contributions to ensure that our Homecoming would be more than what we dreamed it would be, we are grateful:

Greg Lagtapon
Johanna Lacson - Divinagracia
Betty Lomugdang - Lovett
Fel Tagle - Suzara
Cecile Alalay
Dante Estrera
Erle Estampador
Gina Zolayvar - Del Puerto
Lalaine Ang - Gatdula
Floyd Muyco
Eric Palo
Rosendo Ravina
Rosemarie de Guzman - Parreño
Jeanette Villarete - Alelis
Maricon Rosales
Chickie Peralta
Dennis Hedriana
Anthony Inocencio
Monet Sobrepeña
Raymund Perez

To our Batchmates who made a huge difference in making this event a success, we thank you:

Johnny Go, the tireless solicitor and "hakot" king (a majority of the raffle draw winning tickets listed him as solicitor) continue your good works and winning ways, bear hugs and all.

Our indefatigable El Presidente, Anthony "Totong" Derayunan, who took up the responsibility of such a vast undertaking with a big heart and was never bowed by criticism. God really answers prayers, Tong! Thanks also to Cutie for her support for our Batch from the very beginning.

Our Dancers who shared so much of their time and talent to make this night memorable:
Greg "Yoyong" Jordan
Ed Diego
Elmer Poncejan
Bitoy Apuhin
Juvy De Guzman
Anthony Derayunan
Luz "Kiting" Jimenea - Montelibano
Grace "Teeteen" Tenefrancia - Uy
Lina "Nana" Alejandro - Aloquina
Milagros "Bambi" Jamiana - Dela Torre
Elvira Salazar
Lee Ramos - Bernardo
Milagros Martir - Verano
Diona Mediodia
Emily Castellano - Exanes
Rosalie Valencia
Sarah Carcero
Mitzi Canada - Chua
Jessica Jolito - Cañete

The people behind the scenes:
Luz Jimenea - Montelibano
Lee Ramos - Bernardo
Grace Tenefrancia - Uy
Greg Jordan
Francis "Nonoy Tisoy" Calmerin
Joselito "Joslit" Porras
Enrique "Ike" Federico
Imelda Tiongco - Amoyon
Jessica Jolito - Cañete
Cesar Gomed
Mitchelle Morata
Imelda Torres
Agustin Grajo
Maricon Peraren - Longno
Gloria Bahil-Tan
Milagros Martir - Verano
Elmer Poncejan
Sarah Carcero
Leila Sales
Sim Ballares
Mary Geraldine "Gigi" Seva - Tordesillas
Lina Alejandro - Aloquina
Bitoy Apuhin
Jose "Jun" Parreño

And to all those who joined the Celebration of the Best Time of Our Lives, thank you for your presence and your contributions to make this event a success.

Finally, we thank God for his blessings and abiding love, for in His glory, all these have come to fruition.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (a video featuring the La Salle Brothers of the Philippine District)

The Night of the Dress Rehearsal Part II

I HAD A GREAT TIME by Sir Ariel Pabon via email

To all batch '82,

I arrived safely yesterday still nostalgic about the experience I had. This has been one of the most memorable vacations I had in Pinas...thanks to all of you!

Thank you so much for the warmest welcome I had ever had in my life. You guys went out of your way to make me feel a part of you. After 25 years I have always longed of seeing you all again and I must admit I was teary eyed to see that most of you have been very successful in your chosen career. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU ALL!!!

You folks have outdone yourselves! The tremendous responses and positive feedbacks from other batches about your program and how smoothly everything went was something that you all should be proud of. The dance number was... WOW...need I say more? The way you gave honor to your old mentors made a statement of who you have become... great leaders who knew how to follow...true ladies and gentlemen....honorable in your own right. You have become what those mentors have always dreamt of, men and women of character. You have made us all proud.

Most of all, I want to thank all of those who took the time to hang out with me both at 18th st pala-pala and L'Sea. Man, that was what I call GREAT TIME! I totally enjoyed every moment of those nights and I could not help myself bragging to my brothers and sisters about you all. I will cherish every memory of those nights. Thank you all and I hope to see you again soon.

Well, if anybody sets foot in California without calling me will suffer my wrath. So, if anyone of you planning to visit the States, you are most welcome in my humble home. I love you all folks!!!

Ariel

The Night of the Dress Rehearsal Part I

Article from the Visayan Daily Star

Alumni hold raffle draw

The Batch '82 of St. Joseph School–La Salle or St. Joseph High School in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City held a General Alumni Homecoming raffle draw recently, a press release from the group said.

Ann Christine Guivelondo won the grand prize of a house and lot at Charito Heights Subdivision, in Brgy. Granada .

The 10 consolation prize winners of P1,000 each are Olivia Yanson, Cynthia Panesales, Daniel Corcelles, Jennifer Sy, Honeylyn Villarosa, Lilian Montelibano, Becky Millan, Rhodora Bardoleo, Willie Aujero and Alona Ualaga, the press release said

Winners may call Grace Uy at Tel. Nos. 09166862866 or 432-4523 to claim their prizes, the press release added.*

Click on the title above to view the article. After today, Monday, January 7th, this article may already be archived.

Slideshow of the Big Day

Alma Mater Hymn

The Silver Jubilee Homecoming

It was a day to treasure! It was a night to remember!

Everybody started going to school before 10:00 o’clock in the morning on Saturday, the 29th of December 2007. Each new arrival was hailed like the long lost friends we were. Bambi Jamiana De La Torre was in-charge of the reception and registration of alumni. We had a really small turnout at this time but what was important was that there were more of our batchmates joining the celebration.

There was Anthony Inocencio who came all the way from Canada together with Monet Sobrepeña. And from Australia, Dennis Hedriana made good on his promise to come home for the Homecoming. No one can discount Raymund Perez either, for taking a break from his work in Saudi Arabia, to be here as well. You gotta hand it to these guys for making an extreme effort to come home.

Come lunchtime, we started ribbing Anthony Inocencio to give money to buy food. After some good-natured teasing, he opened up his wallet and Totong Derayunan simply snatched two 500 peso bills to add to the 1000 pesos already contributed by two other batchmates. (wala kapalag si Anthony eh) He later said nga indi na siya kuno ma-into liwat. Ayhan? (rolling on the floor laughing) Bitoy Apuhin then called up McDonald’s so we had Chicken McDo delivered to school.

During lunch, Gigi Seva Tordesillas arrived. She told us that her son drove her to school since Emmanuel already has a license to drive. So it was a reversal of roles for them since Gigi was the one who drove him to school when he was younger. When he arrived home, she called him up and thanked him for bringing her to school. (laugh out loud!!!)

Kiting Jiminea Montelibano and Monet Sobrepeña had a moment. Turns out Kiting had a major crush on Monet way back in high school so when he arrived, everybody started teasing them. Kiting finally got her wish to kiss Monet (on the cheek lang ha) and also have their picture taken together.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, the motorcade started. The drumbeaters were so cooool!!! We just had to hand it to them for doing such a great job in setting the truly festive mood of the affair. The Haguard (don’t know if I spelled this right) as Totong called them (after he corrected me when I called them Hagad instead) also were commendable for bringing order to the whole motorcade. I’m sure a lot of busy motorists in Bacolod were cursing us for holding them up in traffic but it sure was fun!!! There were stragglers at the tail-end of the caravan, which can’t be helped, of course. Lina Alejandro Aloquina was driving the SUV that I was on. Sorry, no balloons or ribbons adorned the vehicle but the tarpaulin sure was an eye-catcher, nonetheless.

After the motorcade, I think they set off the first round of fireworks.

At 3:00 o’clock, Father Jude Severino, who was a member of the Class of 1985, celebrated the Holy Mass. His litany dwelt on all of us being the light shining in the darkness. In light of our aim to support kids to finish high school at St. Joseph’s, it pretty much sums up our roles here.

After the mass, the second round of fireworks were set off while everyone had snacks.

Then at 4:30 in the afternoon, everyone in the batch went backstage for the Grand Entrance.

First came the CAT officers carrying the Philippine Flag and School Colors from the back of the Civic Center onstage. For some reason, I remembered Rofel Flores (may he rest in peace) when I saw these kids.

They were followed by members of Batch of 1967 who were celebrating their Ruby Anniversary. Then the former and current mentors came in.

Then to the tune of “Celebration”, the Class of 1982 came out onstage and danced to the choreography of Greg Yoyong Jordan. We sang along with Kool & the Gang and danced like high school kids, our arms clapping in the air, our hips swaying, our feet stamping.

Yahoo! This is your celebration
Yahoo! This is your celebration
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together
It's up to you, what's your pleasure
Everyone around the world
Come on!
Yahoo! It's a celebration
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on!
Let's celebrate
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Baby...
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration!
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Come on and celebrate, good times, tonight (Celebrate good times, come on!)
'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's celebrate (Celebrate good times, come on)
(Let's celebrate)...

After everyone had settled down in their seats below stage, the SJS-LS School Choir rendered the Homage to God and Country.

Greg and Gigi truly did a great job!!! As the emcees, Greg was the comedy act and Gigi, the prim and proper host. They were a picture of contradictions but that’s what a good show needs, right?

They introduced the current school Principal, Ms. Regina Dumagat for her Welcome Address. The Opening Remarks were supposed to be given by Jun Parreño as Class Valedictorian but since he was otherwise indisposed, Peter Ploteña, as Class Salutatorian, took up the cudgels in his stead.

Then Bro. Dindo Maralit, FSC gave a short message, which he said is not really the inspirational message he was supposed to give. He had a different agenda that day, though, which was to introduce the One La Salle concept. (One La Salle is aiming to raise one billion pesos in five years and the alumni will be harnessed to help with this project.) Your thoughts?

This was followed supposedly by a dance number to be performed by the Class of 1985, who was the Freshmen class during our Senior year. There was some glitch there so no one appeared onstage.

Gigi and Greg then segued to one of the most important portions of the affair: the Recognition of the Mentors. All our former mentors, some already retired, resigned, or have passed on, were given their due credit. Gosh!!! There was Sir Baldomero who didn’t seem to change much, Sir Sales whose hair just turned gray all over, and the jolly Sir Sugon who had to be helped up and down the stage by two of our batchmates. Mrs. Diaz had to be wheeled in, though, as she was discharged from hospital two days before the event. Mrs. Mayo was diminished in size but her laughter still rang true. There was Sir Lariza and Sir Mahigne. (By the way, Totong, Raymund, Andy Makilan and I met Mike and Elna Mediodia Luz the day before at Café Bob’s where we had coffee and cookies after coming from the Visayan Daily Star to help edit the newspaper layout for our Homecoming announcement, and they expressed regret that they couldn’t make it to the Homecoming but at least we were still able to see them both. They looked great!) Many more mentors were there but my memory fails me now.

After we gave them the Christmas gifts from the Batch, Mrs. Lourdes Hiponia gave the response in behalf of the mentors.

Then I think somebody from Batch 1984 rendered a song number.

After the song, Frank Carbon from Batch 1967 gave his Inspirational Message.

The highlight of the affair was the dance number of Batch 1982. It was a dance medley of the songs of the 80’s. The most applauded part was when the song “Just Got Lucky” was played. Everyone had their fists in the air, even people in the audience. It was fun!!!

With that production number, these guys are pretty sure to get bookings after the homecoming. As Joselito Porras said, he will definitely sign them up at the next fiesta in Sagay, or was it Cadiz? Bitoy teased that he heard that Batch 2006 is planning to invite the dancers to grace their own homecoming. (laugh out loud!!!) Kidding aside, you can definitely see the effort and the time they all spent to make this production number one for the books. And to think these people are in their forties!!! They looked like teen-agers onstage, especially Lina Alejandro, who gave projection a new meaning. Cute, Nana, real cute!!!

This was followed by the recognition of the batches led by Gigi. Quite a huge turn-out after the sun went down. I guess people were not too happy about spending the humid afternoon at St. Joseph’s because most of them started to really pump up after the program. Of course, dinner was not too far away at this point.

During dinner, where I heard some of our batchmates were not able to eat (there was some breakdown in communication somewhere), the Election of Officers of the Alumni Association was held. Then this was followed by the thing that most of the people there were looking forward to: the Raffle Draw. The honors for drawing the winning ticket for the House and Lot prize was given to our very own, Sir Ariel Pabon.Totong told me the results were published in the Visayan Daily Star, Saturday, January 5th edition.

Finally, together with Batch 1983, we all went up onstage again for the Turn-over of the Key of Responsibility. This was led by Totong Derayunan from our Batch and May Mesticampo from Batch 1983. Amid showers of balloons and confetti, the turn-over ceremony proceeded without a hitch.

For the Closing Remarks, Totong again went up onstage and expressed our thanks and appreciation for all the hard work of all the batchmates as well as for the presence of the members of other Batches.

The dancing began.

Then the last round of fireworks.

And finally, the Alma Mater Song…

Hail, hail, Alma Mater
Hail to De la Salle
We’ll hold your banner high and bright
A shield of green and white
We’ll fight to keep your glory bright
And never shall we fail
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater
Hail, hail, hail!!!


A video accompanied us whilst we sang. You can find a version of the video on YouTube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6fB-Q8mKJU

Gapalanindug balahibo namon.
I had tears in my eyes.

It was a fitting ending to the celebration of the best time of our lives!!!